"But I don't want to give up myself." "I see." And there followed a long silence. Mr. Digby did not wish to add anything to his words, and Rotha could not to hers; and they both sat in meditation, until the girl's lighter humour got away from the troublesome subject altogether. Watching her, Mr. Digby saw the pleased play of feature which testified to her being again absorbed in the scene before her; her eye was alive, her lip moved with a coming and going smile. "It amuses you, does it not?" he said. "O yes!" Rotha exclaimed with a long breath. "I wish mother could see it." "She can," said Mr. Digby. "We will have a carriage and take her out. I don't know why I never thought, of it before." "A carriage? For mother? And bring her here?" said Rotha breathless. "Yes, to-morrow, if the day is good. It will refresh her. And meanwhile, Rotha, I am afraid we must leave this scene of enchantment." Rotha had changed colour with excitement and delight; now she rose up with another deep sigh. "There are more people than ever," she remarked; "more carriages. Mr. Digby, I should think they would be perfectly happy?" "What makes you think they are not?" said he amused. "They don't look so." "They are accustomed to it. They come every day or two." "Does that make it less pleasant?" "It takes off the novelty, you know. Most pleasures are less pleasant when the novelty is gone." "Why?" Mr. Digby smiled again. "You never found it so?" he said. "No. I remember when we were at Medwayville, everything I liked to do, I liked it more the more I did it." "You are of a happy temperament. What did you use to like to do there?" "O a load of things!" said Rotha sighing. "I liked our old dog, and my kittens; and riding about; and I liked very much going to the hay field and getting into the cart with father and riding home. And then--" But Rotha's words stopped suddenly, and her companion looking down at her saw that her eyes were brimming full of tears, and her face flushed with the emotion which almost mastered her. A little kind pressure of the hand he held was all the answer he made; and then they made their way through the crowd and got into the cars to go home.